History has a central role in human development as evident in the article “Kung Fu: Negotiating Nationalism and Modernity” by Siu Leung Li (2006). The author attributes myriad aspects of history to help in understand various Chinese cultural frameworks. Tracing back to the 1970s, Kung Fu has been one of the most influential imaginary martial arts in practice. Li provides a comprehensive analogy of the history and trajectory of how this practice began to become what it is today. Evidently, the art of fighting and fitness began with the local traditional imaginations in China as the author considers this practice as sports.
Founders such as Wong Fei Hung initiated folk culture that led to Kung Fu master smashing Japanese karate fighters to mark the onset of the rise in this philosophy. In their quest, many ancient fighters focused on ensuring that the culture was utilized as a mechanism of sporting and socializing among communities. These martial art events were paramount in enhancing discipline and self-awareness in different ways.
Likewise, the dominance of Kung Fu films tends to maintain the traditions and heritage of China as a unique civic setting. Asian cinemas and other artistic frameworks have a central role in propagating their values. Gender factors are also clearly perpetrated in many movies filmed in modern society. Evidently, the majority of the theater portrays test of masculinity and wellness which is a common theme in many of the films and movies embracing Kung Fu.
Kung Fu is gaining more prominence across the world as more individuals begin to embrace it as a means of physical exercise. Notably, it provides mechanisms that help practitioners become healthy and aware of their environment. Even though many initial fighters switched to boxing, the skill still remains as one of the most prominent cultures across all communities in China and the world at large. The original Kung Fu was as brutal as modern boxing; hence, its place has remained irreplaceable among those of who consider it as athleticism.
One of the key uses include body building which often helps in keeping shape and fitness to avert lifestyle diseases in communities. Although it exists as an ambiguous practice bordering ancient-modern and fantasy-reality fragments, Kung Fu resonates with many people working in the area of health and fitness. Some modernists use techniques envisaged in this culture to develop current styles like yoga and other lifestyles to diversify the practice.
At the same time, Kung Fu helps in fitness and self-defense while promoting mental health in various ways within communities. Although set as a Chinese way of life, it has been propagated to become a universal cultural approach to non-communicable ailments. Many individuals in the modern environment tend to mimic the Chinese heroes, including Bruce Lee, in their skills. In several ways, Bruce Lee used his ability to promote the Chinese nationalism and to avoid cultural decadence across the various generations (Li, 108-110). Evidently, such movements made poised other individuals to question the hero’s approach, which later diversified the implication of Kung Fu.
To conclude, Kung Fu is an imminent art in cultural management of Chinese communities. It serves various roles in modern societies as in ancient times. Essentially, current perpetrators recognize their background and national values. Almost all films around martial art consider Kung Fu as a foundation in the rise of modern fitness. The stereotypic gender roles silently fueled in the surge of Kung Fu overrule historic stories. Thus, it is important to embrace elements of Kung Fu such as karate and yoga in modern society.
Work Cited
Li, Siu Leung. “Kung Fu: negotiating nationalism and modernity.” Asian cinemas: A reader and guide, edited by Dimitris Eleftheriotis and Gary Needham Edinburgh University Press, 2006. 100-125.